


Under The Willow

by Moon_Child07



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Death, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Killing, Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Sex, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-07
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-11-29 02:41:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11431482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moon_Child07/pseuds/Moon_Child07
Summary: This is a Daryl Dixon work, set in season 7 and I just wanted to create my own character and give my take on it. So fair warning that things might be changed up a little as the new character could change some circumstances. There will be depictions of death and killing and also a good bit of Daryl smut. Let me know in the comments what you would like to see or any suggestions you might have. Thanks so much for reading!





	1. The Cell

“Way to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, Willow.” She thought, sitting on the cold cell floor, her arms wrapped around her bloody knees. She gave those bastards a good run for their money, but what does one 26-year-old girl have against five guys and a gun to her head? They tried their damndest to snatch her up though and had it not been for that stupid tree root, she probably would’ve gotten away with only minor cuts and bruises.  
“What’s a fiery young thang like you, doin’ out chere in these woods, all alone?” A thin, gangly man drawled as he sauntered around a tree. “None your damn business.” Willow retorted, holding onto her backpack, still walking in the opposite direction. “Well I think it is, since yous wanderin mighty close to the sanctuary. So that thar makes it my business and all of our business.” He grinned a toothless grin as four other men stepped out and surrounded her. She chuckled as she shucked her pack onto the ground at her feet “Yall really don’t want to play games with me.”  
“Oh, really now?” A bigger but no less ugly guy in a white t-shirt and jeans said as he reached for her arm. She snatched away from him and socked him square in the nose. Blood spurted all over the ground as he howled in pain. “Yes, really.” She smiled sweetly as she shook her hand, fully aware of the bruises that would form on her knuckles later. The other three men stood there in shock as their buddy knelt on the ground holding his gushing nose, “What are you waiting for, you idiots! Grab her!”  
Two of them barreled after her but she ducked and slugged one in the stomach and the other in the jaw, then sent him a knee to the gut. She slung them both to the side and faced the other two men who were already making their way towards her. She went to move but tripped over that damn root and landed on her ass. The scrawny guy took the opportunity to tackle her and pin her arms down. She screamed as she kicked and kneed him in the groin. He toppled over, but before she could scramble away the other two guys holding their stomachs had come too, and snatched her up by her ankles. They struggled to drag her up but eventually succeeded. The guy who’s nose she had broken got up - face covered in blood - and walked over to her, to pull her up by her hair. She grunted as she held onto his fist. “You little bitch. You have no idea who you’re dealing with.” She spit in his face and kicked at the guys who held onto her ankles.  
“Fuckin’ hell.” The guy bellowed “Hoist her up.”  
They pulled her up and held her by her arms as she struggled some more. Suddenly the wind was knocked out of her and her vision blurry as the man’s knee clocked her in the face. “You fucker.” She slurred as blood poured from her now split lip. He reached down and took her jaw into his meaty grip, and held her up to look in his face. “You want to try something else?” He said as he pulled out a Walther P22 and pressed it against her temple. She knew her fair share of guns. Her dad had taught her most of what there was to know. If only she could squirm free, she could definitely take a leg or shoulder shot. But in her current situation, she would have scrambled brains if she didn’t play her cards right.  
“What do you want from me?” She said, through gritted teeth. “You were wandering in our territory. Negan wants us to bring anyone who gets close to this place, in for questioning. ‘Specially after that group he took out the other night. Brought him home a right feisty fucker and I’m sure a perty young thang like you, will be just what he’s looking for.”  
She jerked her head out of his grip, “Who the fuck is Negan?”  
“You’ll find out.” Then everything went black.  
Next thing she knew, she was lying on her back in a cold, dark cell, wearing a white, bloody tank top and white sweatpants. “HEY!” She cried, getting up from the floor to bang on the cell door, “YOU CAN’T KEEP ME IN HERE, YOU PIGS!” She slammed her body against the door but quickly fell in pain as her body was sore and covered in scrapes and bruises. “You might wanna keep your mouth shut if you know what’s good for ya.” A voice came through the bars. She looked up to see the back of a blonde head.  
“What do you care?” Willow snapped back, holding her shoulder.  
“You really have no idea where you are or who you’re dealing with, do you?” The guy turned and looked down at her. She cringed as she looked on his scarred-up face. “Did he do that to you? This Negan guy?” She asked, holding the side of her face as if she was going to be next. The guy huffed and turned around. “Just be quiet and polite around him. Don’t speak unless you’re spoken to, all that fancy shit. Or else.”  
“Or else what?” She chuckles lightly. “I’ve already been beat enough and killing me is too much of a favor.”  
“Lucille.” The guy said and walked away. 

A couple days had passed before they finally opened the door, other than to throw stale bread smothered in dog food on the floor. The blonde guy with the scar, quickly picked Willow up off the floor by her arm and hauled her down a long narrow hallway. “Where are we going?” She asked him, quietly. “Apparently, Negan heard about what you did to his men.”  
“And what? He’s gonna kill me? Is Lucille gonna kill me? I promise you, with a name like that, I’m sure I can take her-“  
“Will you shut up? That mouth of yours is sure to get you killed.”  
Willow pursed her lips as the blonde pulled her along. He finally stopped at a door and knocked on it, gently. “Yeah?” A voice from inside called. “I brought her, like you asked.” The blonde said.  
The door slung open revealing a tall, bulky man with a cocky smile. He wore a leather jacket with a red handkerchief around his neck and black gloves on his hands. “Well. Come. On. In!” He exclaimed, separating each word. “Thanks, Dwighty boy. I think I can take it from here.” The blonde guy nodded, shoving her in and shutting the door behind him.  
“You must be Negan.” Willow stated plainly. “Why, yes, I am, little lady.” His smile widened as he looked her up and down. “You’ve heard of me?”  
“Only that you’re kind of a dick.” Willow said, confidently, crossing her arms across her chest.  
Negan’s smile turned into a fake frown, “Aww, now whoever told you that nonsense?”  
“I put it together on my own, considering you kept me locked in a cell for days with nothing to eat but shit on a piece of bread.”  
Negan laughed, leaning to the side a little, “Damn, I like you already. Smokin’ hot and feisty.” He tilted his head a little, flashing her his smile once again. “What’s a lil princess like yourself, doing out here in these parts?”  
“Okay, don’t call me that. My name is Willow. I didn’t know I was on ‘your turf’” She said bending her fingers in the air. “I was just passing through when your men attacked me.”  
“Well from what I hear, you fuckin’ attacked them. Even went as far as to break Pete’s nose!” His voice raised a little as he paced around a chair and slung a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire up on his shoulder. “Come to think of it, you remind me a lot of a stupid fucker we brought in a couple nights ago. Socked me square in my jaw. Been trying to break him but I gotta admit he had some fuckin’ balls. Even after watching his Asian buddy get Lucilled.”  
“Okay, who the fuck is Lucille?” Willow asked.  
Negan chuckled as he swung the bat in front of him to point at her. “Well you’re fuckin lookin at her, sweetheart. Now, if I were you, I’d watch my mouth in front of her. She might be a little fuckin thirsty after bashin in a couple heads.”  
Willows jaw tightened as Negan got closer to her with the bat, bringing it real close to her face. “Now, where are you from?”  
“Nowhere. I told you, I was just passing through when I got attacked. I’m just a wanderer.” She replied shortly, bringing her arms down by her sides.  
“Is that so? You wouldn’t happen to be a part of that group of fuckers that took out several of my men? That would be pretty fuckin unfortunate for you.” Negan tapped the bat on her shoulder lightly.  
“I really don’t know who you’re talking about.” She looked him in the eye, just to get her point across.  
“So, the name Alexandria, means nothing to you?” Negan questioned some more.  
“No, I don’t know her.”  
Negan chuckled again as he let the Lucille fall to his side “Well lucky you. You passed the test.” He turned and walked over to a dresser where he kept a bunch of bottles of alcohol, and propped Lucille up beside it. “But, don’t think that means you get to leave.”  
“But I told you, I’m just passing through! Why would you keep me here, I’m of no value to you!” Willow began to panic.  
“Oh, I’m sure I can find something for you to do. Especially, a lady who can kick some ass.” He poured himself a glass of something and took a sip. “DWIGHT!” He called.  
“Yes sir.” The door cracked open  
“Take the princess back to her castle.” Negan gave her another grin through the rim of his glass.  
Willow went to protest but was cut off by Dwight  
“Sir, we had to but Dixon in that cell. The others were uh.. full”  
“Put. Her. Back. In. the cell.” Negan gritted as he waved the two of them off.  
Dwight pulled Willow by her arm again as she began to yell and punch at him. Dwight called for another guy standing at the end of the hallway, who ran up to help restrain her.  
When they finally were able to drag her down the hallway, they swung the door open and threw her in. “Don’t get any ideas, you two.” And the door slammed again, leaving her and a filthy looking man alone, in the dark.  
“YOU BASTARDS!” She yelled from the floor. Sighing loudly, she looked over at the man who had his head leaned up against the wall. He was wearing the same white sweats she was wearing only his had a big orange 'A' scrawled on the front of the dirty sweatshirt. “You must be that brave fucker they’ve all been talking about.” She tried.  
“I wouldn’t say brave.” The man huffed, bitterly, in a gravely yet strangely enticing voice.  
“I wish I could’ve. The guys a dick.” Willow slide to the wall to press her back against it.  
“You would’ve paid a price.” He looked at her through his long hair “Lost somebody you gave a shit about… ruined families…”  
“I’ve already lost everyone I care about and killing me would put me out of my misery. Gonna have to try harder than that if you’re gonna scare me” Willow said, lightly hitting her head against the cement wall. A few long moments of silence passed before she went to speak again. “What’s your name?”  
“Daryl.” He murmured.  
“I’m Willow.” She looked across the room at him. “What do you think is going to happen to us?”  
He huffed again and sat up straighter against the wall “Who knows?”  
She fiddled with a strand of her dark hair as she stared at him. His head was tilted back as he looked up at the ceiling. She could tell he had been beaten.  
“Who’s the Asian guy that Negan was- “  
“Shut up. Please just… stop talking…” He cut her off.  
“Fine.” She scoffed and lay down on the cold floor, where she slowly drifted off to sleep.


	2. Options

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Willow and Daryl are becoming closer. She's seen a side of him that few others have seen and it messes with her heart. Her heart has been feeling a lot of strange things lately and later, finds that Daryl might feel the same.
> 
>  
> 
> S/o to Username Smdoo for suggesting Daryl mind games by Negan. I took a little twist at the end here and created my own story using bits from the original story. Hope you guys like it! Let me know what you think!

Willow woke up with a start as cold sweat trickled down her forehead. Her nightmares had really taken a toll on her last night. She groaned as she looked up at the distasteful cement walls and over at the sleeping Daryl. He had fallen asleep sitting up with his arms crossed over his chest. Sighing and lifting herself off the floor, she rubbed the back of her neck and wiped away the sweat from her forehead.  
“You talk in your sleep.” Daryl murmured softly. She looked over at him, his eyes were still closed.  
“And you snore.” She retorted.  
“Not as loud as you talk.” He opened his eyes to look at her from under that hair.  
She gave him a venomous look as he chuckled.  
“I wasn’t complaining, princess. Lose the attitude.”  
“Don’t call me that.” She shot back. “And I don’t have an attitude.” She stood up and walked over to the tiny window that allowed a small sliver of light into their dark cell.  
He hummed in response. “Is Sage your brother?”  
This question caught her off guard as she whipped her head around. “How did you know that?” She said a little too quickly.  
“You were talking about him in your sleep.” He shrugged.  
“Yeah… he was.” She whispered as she turned away from him to stare out of the tiny window.  
“Sorry.” He mumbled.  
“It’s fine. I’m kind of numb to it all now.” She moved over and sat beside him.  
“Yeah…” He hesitated. “I lost my brother too.”  
“Oh… I’m sorry.” She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them.  
“He was an asshole anyway.” Daryl mumbled, almost to where she couldn’t quite hear him.  
“Still hurts to lose a brother. Sage was my hero when I was little. When he got bit…” She drifted off.  
“My brother was shot. Turned…I had to finish the job.” He picked at his thumb.  
“Yeah... me too.” She looked over at him. “We had to do what we had to do. I couldn’t stand to let him… my family… stay like that forever…”  
He turned his head to look at her with his piercing eyes. She had the urge to move his hair out of the way to get a better look at them but she resisted.  
Suddenly the door swung open to reveal Dwight holding a crossbow. He tossed down some gross bread and dog food and looked down at them suspiciously.  
“Don’t be gettin’ too close now.” He said as he pulled Willow up by the back of her collar and dragged her, kicking and cursing, over to the other side of the cell. “You’re coming with me.” Dwight smirked as he snatched up Daryl too, yanking him into the hallway and slamming the cell door behind him. 

Willow began to panic. What if they were going to torture him and then come for her. What if they were going to… her thoughts drifted off as she began to feel sick at the contemplations of what they might do to her. 

A few hours passed when the door opened again and Daryl was slung up against the back wall. “Just remember what could happen to you.” Dwight spat and slammed the door closed. Daryl stood there for a minute and stared blankly at the door.  
“What did they do to you?” Willow broke the silence.  
“Nothin’.” Daryl drawled. “I ain’t scared of them.”  
“Clearly not.” She said, looking him up and down for any injuries. She saw none.  
“They want me to join them.” His gaze shifted to her and she raised a brow.  
“You’re not going to, right?”  
“Hell no.” He shuffled his feet a little on the concrete floor. “Have to kill me b’fore I join those assholes.”  
She nodded her head and stared into her lap. She hadn’t noticed him making his way over to sit next to her.  
She looked up to see him sliding down the wall beside her. “You think we’ll get in trouble for sitting beside each other?” She half smiled.  
“Probably.” He pressed the back of his head against the wall. “Does it look like I care though?”  
She chuckled a little. “I guess not.”  
Her gaze slowly drifted over to him. His eyes were closed and his strong jaw was clenched. His facial hair wrapped nicely around his chin, up to his upper lip with scarce patches on his cheeks. His hair was long and greasy, probably from having been here for a couple days. She probably wasn’t in much better condition.  
She was so entranced by him that she didn’t notice him eyeing her.  
“Whatcha starin at?” He mumbled.  
She shook her head, “Uh nothing.” Her face filled with a bright red blush. “You’re just dirty. Are you sure they didn’t rough you up?” She mentally punched herself for how stupid she sounded. Why the hell was she getting so flustered by this dirty redneck?  
“I mean, yeah.” He sounded like he was holding back a laugh. “They didn’t braid my hair and give me a massage.”  
She rolled her eyes, “That smartass mouth is what’s gonna get you killed.”  
“They won’t kill me, sunshine. They haven’t broken me yet.” He pressed his shoulder against hers, and she blushed even harder. ‘What is wrong with me’ she thought.  
“What happens when they do?” She looked over at their connected shoulders.  
“They won’t.” He turned his head to look at her, those piercing eyes bore into hers and she was lost in them. His eyes grazed down lower to look at her lips and then back up to her eyes. Her heart began to race and her palms began to sweat. What was going on?  
Suddenly an annoying, jolly song began blasting through the door, jostling her and Daryl out of their weird trance.  
“What the hell?” Willow whispered. As an annoying woman’s voice began to sing about Easy Street. She already wanted to smash the walls in.  
“Just try to ignore it.” Daryl said softly. “This is just the start of it.”  
She hit the back of her head against the wall in frustration but eventually drifted off to sleep.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This torture lasted a couple days. Each morning the song would be blasted through the cell door and would go on all day long, setting both Willow and Daryl on edge. She found herself screaming at the door one morning, cursing at anyone who passed by. Her anger surged through her. ‘Why are they doing this to us? Who the hell do they think they are?’ She thought.  
One morning, Daryl sat up against the wall while Willow did push-ups in the middle of the cell. Her father had always taught her that staying strong was important and that nobody liked to carry along the weak. She didn’t want to become weak, especially if they got out of this shit hole.  
Daryl was unusually quiet as the song blared from the other side of the door.  
Suddenly the song went silent and the door opened. Willow quickly scrambled to the wall and crossed her legs, meaning to look innocent. Daryl kept his eyes fixed on her as Dwight glanced at them both.  
He threw a piece of bread her way and pressed the other piece of Daryl’s mouth. When Daryl jerked his head to the side, Dwight tossed the bread on the floor beside him.  
“Eat.” Dwight said. It was silent for a moment, “You got your friend killed. I got Tina killed. Don’t pretend you don’t know the score.”  
At that Daryl picked up the piece of bread and hurled it at Dwight’s head, his enraged gaze fixed back on Willow, who looked back and forth between the two.  
“You should be dead.” Dwight squatted next to Daryl from the doorway, “But Negan’s taken a shine on you. You’re lucky.”  
Dwight pulled a small polaroid picture out of his vest pocket and taped it against the wall by Daryl’s face.  
“Don’t forget.”  
The door slammed. Daryl kept his eyes on her for another moment, his hands trembling. He snatched the picture off the wall and threw it to the floor.  
“Don’t look at it, Daryl.” Willow whispered.  
Daryl glanced up at her and back down at the picture. Slowly, he reached down and turned it over. She didn’t have to see it to know it was a picture of his dead friend. Daryl’s lower lip began to quiver and all the hardness and strength that he had before, melted away.  
He broke. Shattered right there in front of her. His whimpers broke her heart as she slid across the floor to pull his head down to her shoulder. His whimpers turned into hard gasps as he held onto her waist, his face buried in the crook of her neck. “It’s all my fault. I’m such a fuckin’ idiot.” He sobbed. “I punched Negan and got Glenn killed. I should be dead. Not him. Maggie will never forgive me for getting him killed.” His violent sobbing racked his body as he began to shake and heave.  
“Daryl, you gotta calm down. This is exactly what they want.” She softly smoothed the back of his head. He started murmuring about it being his fault and how it should’ve been him as he balled his fists in her sweatshirt.  
Daryl stopped crying for a second to jerk his head over and throw up on the floor by the door. “I’m so sorry, Willow. I’m so sorry.” He whimpered as he gasped for breath and hung his head.  
“Daryl…” She reached for his face, but he jerked away.  
“You don’t have to pity me. I’m not worth it…” He started wiping his face, but it was all in vain as the tears continued to roll down his face. Willow reached for him again and pulled his face over to press her forehead against his.  
“You are worth it. Negan is a soulless, cold monster and you are stronger than you think. You can cry all you want, just don’t let them see it.” She whispered to him, running her thumb across his cheekbone.  
“I… guess so.” His breathing started evening out, but he was still shaking violently.  
“One of my dad’s favorite things to tell me. Never let them see that they got to you” She smiled at him.  
They stayed like that for what seemed like hours, until Willow pulled away to move over to the back wall so he wouldn’t be sleeping where he threw up. “Come here.” She motioned for him to lay on her lap.  
He grunted and crawled over to wrap his arms around her and lay his head on her thighs. She took the opportunity to smooth some of his hair out of his face and relish in the closeness.  
“Thank you, Willow.” He breathed softly.  
She hummed in response. “Try to get some sleep.” She continued to smooth her hand over his cheek and run her fingers over his hair. Soon she could hear his breathing slow and his light snore rumble in his chest.

 

The next morning, they both woke to a start as Dwight and a rather large guy came into the cell. They both looked at the pair and back at each other. It was clear that they suspected something was going on between Daryl and Willow. Dwight whispered something in the big guys ear and he nodded.  
Quickly, Dwight snatched up Daryl and the bigger guy snatched up Willow. She kept her mouth shut as she was dragged along by her arm.  
The next thing she knew, she was being blinded by the afternoon sunlight and greeted by a circle of men holding guns to their heads. She looked at Daryl in confusion and fear. ‘Are they about to kill us?’ she thought.  
Then Willow heard the almost bone chilling whistle of their captor as he sauntered over to them. He looked them both up and down like they were cattle at an auction and he had plenty of money and an appetite.  
“Who are you?” He asked, pointing his prized Lucille over his shoulder at the big guy who had dragged her out.  
“Negan.” The man replied, expressionless. She scowled at him.  
“Who aaaare you?” He pointed to another guy.  
“Negan.” Was his response.  
He smirked and leaned, gesturing to everyone “Who the fuck are ya?”  
“Negan.” They all said collectively.  
“Ya see that? I am everywhere. And this is your shot to prove to me this fundamental fact is sinking in. This is good for you because- “He chuckled, “your life is about to get so much cooler.” He looked back and forth between the two of them. “Am I right?”  
“Damn right.” The large guy said, giving Willow a nauseating smirk.  
Negan clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he took Lucille and tapped the ground at Daryl’s feet, making him back up to avoid getting poked.  
“Now, Dwight gave you some options. I don’t think you get it yet. So, I’m gonna break it the fuck down for you.” He gave Daryl a hard glare, letting him know that he wasn’t playing any more games. “You have three options. One… “He put up a finger, “You wind up on the spike and you work for me as a dead man. Two, you get out of your cell and you work for points, but you’re gonna wish you were dead. Or three, you work for me, you get yourself a brand-new pair of shoes and you live like a king!” His voice rung through the small space they were in. Willow glanced over at Daryl who was glaring at Negan with pure hate.  
“The answer is pretty obvious.” Negan continued, “You should know, there is no door number four. This is it. This is the only way.”  
Daryl didn’t answer. He only continued his silent, fiery gaze.  
Negan chuckled, “Ahhh, fuck it.” He swung the bat at Daryl and Willow yelped.  
He didn’t flinch. He didn’t even blink as the bat stopped an inch from his face. Negan turned his head to look at her and then back at Daryl. “Wow! You don’t scare easy.” He said stepping back from Daryl, who’s hands began to shake.  
“But I think I can change that.” Negan said as he brought the bat back up again and swung it, only this time, it swung at Willow.  
“No!” Daryl lunged at Negan as the bat stopped at the side of her head. The men surrounding them, quickly restrained him before he could reach Negan. “No… she didn’t do anything, you don’t have to keep her here.”  
Negan broke into a manic smile. “Well well well. Looks like we found a soft spot!” He declared.  
Daryl’s face broke into panic as he realized what he had done, the information he’d given away.  
“I mean, I get it. She’s smokin’ hot.” Negan looked Willow up and down, pausing a little longer at her chest. “I was thinking about making her one of my wives! Wouldn’t that be neat? You working for me, livin’ it up and her livin’ it up as one of my wives! Hot damn, that seems like a fuckin deal for all of us!” He shook his head.  
“No fucking way.” Willow spoke finally.  
“Excuse me, doll face?” Negan turned to look at her. “You better watch that pretty little mouth of yours. Remember what we talked about?” He ran a finger over her cheek but she jerked away.  
“I’d rather die than be married to you.” Willow retorted.  
A smile slowly crept across Negan’s face as he reached out and grabbed her by her arm. “You just might get your wish, sweetheart. Put him back in the cell. I’ve got some business to take care of.” He dragged her along as she pried at his hand on her arm and screamed curses.  
Daryl struggled and fought as the men began trying to drag him back to the cell. He managed to punch one guy in the face before they all commenced beating him ruthlessly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the support! It means a lot to me as I am a learning writer. (: 
> 
> Smut coming up very shortly so be warned (;


	3. The Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is their big escape! You see glimpses of Sherri, Fat Joey and finally JESUS! I'm so excited for you all to read this! Enjoy!

Back in Negan’s office, Willow was thrown roughly into a chair. She glared up at the cocky bastard who gave her a shit-eating smirk.  
“The way I see it, you have just about the same options that I told y’all about earlier.” He said as he began circling her chair, “You can either be my wife and live it up with the rest of my super-hot wives and I won’t kill Daryl, you can work for points and I’ll burn the ever livin’ shit out of Daryl, or you both can fuckin’ die. It’s up to you now. You both live, he gets hurt or you both die. I think the choice is pretty fuckin’ clear.”  
Willow sat in the chair biting her lip. She couldn’t deny that she cared for Daryl. At least enough to where she didn’t want him to die. But she would rather cut off her left leg than marry Negan. She remained silent, with her gaze set on the door. Negan leaned over her from behind the chair and whispered “I’m pretty good at getting people to do what I want, so don’t think for a fuckin’ second that I won’t take an iron to the side of Daryl’s ugly mug.”  
“Go to hell.” Willow spat, jerking her head away from him.  
“I’ll give you some time to think it over and come to your senses, doll. You seem like a smart cookie, so I’ve got a pretty good feeling as to what the answer is going to be.” He pressed a gloved finger under her chin and chuckled when she jerked away and glared at him.  
“Try not to keep me waiting too long. My patience is wearing pretty fuckin’ thin.” He looked back over his shoulder as he picked up Lucille and slung the bat up to rest under his chin. He winked at her before sauntering out, whistling his famous bone chilling tune.  
As soon as he shut and locked the door, she began looking around for any way out. She checked the door and the windows but they were all locked. Breaking the windows would make too much noise and draw attention to her. She looked around for something to pick the lock on the door. A hair pin, small knife, toothpick, literally anything. But she couldn’t find a damn thing.  
She cried out in frustration. ‘I’m going to have to marry Negan to get out of this alive.’ She thought in defeat. ‘How many women have had to do the same?”  
She pressed her back against the door and sighed.  
Suddenly, she heard rapid footsteps coming closer to the door. She quickly jumped back into the chair and crossed her arms, trying to look innocent. The door jangled for a bit and swung open.  
Daryl and a woman with shoulder length brown hair in a skin tight black dress, stood in the doorway looking very panicked.  
“Daryl?!” Willow cried, happy to see he was okay even though he was badly bloodied and bruised. “How the hell did you get out?”  
He pointed at the woman who held out a small piece of metal. “I made this out of a paper clip.”  
Willow eyed the woman for a moment and switched her gaze to Daryl. He gave her a nod and extended his hand for her to come with him. She gladly intertwined her fingers with his. He turned his head quickly and tugged on her hand to follow, but she could tell he was blushing by the way his neck and ears turned a bright shade of pink.  
“There are some motorcycles in the back. If you can reach them and get past the guards, you’re in the clear.” The woman said, looking down at Daryl and Willow’s joined hands as they came to a stop.  
Willow turned to speak to her as Daryl peeked his head around the corner. “Thank you. I won’t forget you.” Willow said, gently as she touched the woman on her shoulder. 

“Sherri. My name is Sherri.” She smiled.  
“I wish you all the luck in the world, Sherri.” Willow returned and with that Daryl grunted a small ‘thank you’ to her as well and pulled Willow around the corner.  
As they came about, they heard voices and quickly slipped into the nearest room. Daryl quietly pressed the door shut and turned to Willow, “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” He took her face in his hands, examining her.  
“No, he didn’t hurt me.” She was startled by his sudden concern for her but accepted his touch “They hurt you though.” She reached up and gently ran a finger across cheek where it had been bruised.  
“He didn’t…. touch you, did he?” He grabbed her hand and held it.  
She shook her head and squeezed his hand reassuringly. “Let’s get out of here.” She whispered with a small smile. He nodded and began searching the room. He picked up a shirt and some jeans and swiftly shucked them on. Willow looked around and found a t-shirt as well that she could slip on instead of the smelly sweatshirt. She faced the wall and slung the old thing on the floor, revealing her bare chest and slipped the shirt over her head.  
She heard Daryl clear his throat, and spun around. His face was completely flushed red. “Sorry.” He murmured as he lowered his gaze to the ground. She chuckled at how respectful he was trying to be despite his rough, badass attitude. She thought it was cute.  
She continued scanning the room and spotted a jar of peanut butter sitting on top of the fridge. She slowly stepped over articles of clothing and bottles of unknown liquids and snatched it down.  
“Want some?” She asked, holding the jar out to him. Daryl took the jar and opened it up, using his finger to scoop the sticky paste out and licked it off quickly. “Holy shit, that’s so much better than damn dog food.” He said, quietly as he continued to eat more of it. He stuck the jar out to offer her some but she shook her head. “Nut allergy.” She shrugged.  
“We’ll find you somethin’ when we get the hell out of here.” He put the jar down on and flipped a table with a bunch of hand carved chess pieces in it. “C’mon” He said, taking her by the hand again and opening the door a crack. He listened for a second and the next thing she knew she was running down the hallway, down to the metal door that led to the motorcycles outside. He snatched up a steel pipe that was sitting up beside the doorway and out they went.  
The bikes were there, just as Sherri had said. Daryl went up to one of them and began trying to get it started, when the fat guy who had dragged her down the hall earlier, emerged from around the corner, eating a sandwich.  
“The hell?” He said with a mouthful as he caught sight of Willow. The guy locked eyes with Daryl and swallowed thickly as the man stood up straighter, baring the metal pipe in his fist. The guy raised his hands and dropped the sandwich.  
“Whoa, whoa. It’s cool! I swear! You can both walk right out that back gate and I won’t say anything to anybody.” He babbled as Daryl stepped closer and closer to him.  
“Daryl…” Willow tried but he raised his hand in a hushing motion.  
“I’m supposed to be there now but- I-I I’m just trying to get by. Same as you!” The guy said frantically. “Please don’t- “But those were his last blabbered words as the pipe came down on his face. Daryl struck him over and over, sending blood splashing over his face and clothes.  
“Daryl!” A man called from behind Willow. She jumped as she didn’t see or hear him run up. Daryl stopped beating the guy and threw the pipe down beside the lifeless body of the fat guy. He reached down and picked up the gun that was hanging out of the dead man’s jeans and shoved it in the back of his. “It ain’t just about getting by ‘round here.” He panted, “It’s about gettin’ it all.” He wiped his face with the back of his arm and walked back over to the bikes.  
The bearded man looked between Willow and Daryl and slowly approached Willow. She eyed him suspiciously as he approached her. “I’m Jesus.” He said to Willow, “I’m a part of Daryl’s group and I’m here to get you out of here.” Daryl looked up from what he was doing and nodded at Jesus, still panting “This is Willow. She’s coming with me.” He slung his leg over the bike and shoved his heel into the ignition.  
“What are you waitin’ for? Let’s go!” He said, motioning for Willow to get on the back. She ran up and swung her leg over too, grabbing hold of Daryl’s waist, tightly. Jesus ran over and took one of the bikes too and they quickly made their escape out of the unguarded gates.

Willow peeped her head around Daryl’s shoulder as they approached a walled in village with a large house on top of a hill.  
Jesus turned to yell back at her “This is Hilltop! You’ll be safe here!” She nodded as the gates opened.  
They all hopped off the bikes as soon as they pulled into the walls. Daryl and Jesus were then bombarded with hugs from a beautiful short haired woman. “I’m so glad y’all are safe. We missed you so much, Daryl.” She cried as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheek. He was hesitant and didn’t say much to her but still held her tight. He looked like a wounded animal that wouldn’t make eye contact with anyone.  
“This is Willow.” Daryl said, nodding behind him. Willow smiled at her, sweetly. “I’m Maggie.” She said softly and hugged her. “You’re more than welcome to stay with Sasha, Enid and I for the night.”  
“Thanks.” Willow said kindly.  
“I’ve gotta get back to my post. Daryl, why don’t you show her where she’ll be staying and have Sasha give her some clean clothes.” She said as she walked off towards the gate and climbed the ladder to the watch station.  
Jesus took the bikes and moved them out of the way as Daryl took Willow to Maggie’s small trailer home. He knocked on the door and a stern looking African American woman opened the door. Her face lit up when she saw who it was and she hugged him tightly  
“Daryl. I knew they couldn’t keep you in there.” She said, pulling away to look at his face. “You should go to the infirmary about that eye.”  
“I’ll be fine.” He mumbled as he shook his hair to cover his eye better. “Sasha, this is Willow. Willow, Sasha.” Willow nodded politely at Sasha, who did the same. “She was locked up in that shit hole too. Maggie said she could have some clean clothes.” He continued.  
“Sure. Come on inside and I’ll get you squared away.” Sasha said, taking Willow by the shoulder.  
“Wait out here for me?” Willow said to Daryl in passing. He grunted in response but leaned up against the house and crossed his arms. She giggled as she stepped inside. Why was he making her feel so giddy?  
“You like him, don’t you?” Sasha said as she closed the door behind her and grinned back at Willow.  
“What?! No!” Willow screeched. She could feel the heat on her face and knew it was hopeless to lie. Especially when Sasha was giving her a raised eyebrow smirk.  
“Is it that obvious?” Willow tugged at the bottom of her t-shirt.  
“Unfortunately.” Sasha chuckled. “I don’t blame you either. Daryl is a good man, even if he’s moody all the time.” She said as she turned to pull some clothes out of a basket. A clean black shirt and a grey button up flannel with some ripped jeans. Willow stood in an embarrassed haze as she waited for Sasha to finish.  
“You can wear a pair of Maggie’s old converse if you want. She wears exclusively combat boots now.” Sasha said, handling Willow the clothes and shoes.  
“I really appreciate what you’re doing for me. I’ve never really been a part of a group.” She looked down at the clothes and back up at Sasha. Sasha clapped a hand on her shoulder “If Daryl trusts you, then I trust you.”  
Willow began changing into the clothes after Sasha showed her where the bathroom was. She tossed the old clothes to the side and slid the new ones on. They were a little tight as Maggie was a little smaller than her but they would work until she could get some of her own clothes.  
She stepped out of the trailer to find Daryl still standing there, waiting.  
“Took you long enough, princess.” He grumbled as his blue eyes grazed over her. She rolled her eyes at him, trying to hide her dumb grin behind her hair.  
“Do you think I could get a little some thing to eat? I’m starving.” She said, sticking her hands in her pockets.  
“Shit, yeah sorry.” He said, “C’mon.” He started walking and she trailed behind him. 

They walked to a small building where she saw Jesus carrying a basket of apples for an elderly lady. “Want one?” He said as they approached.  
“Please.” Willow said, eagerly. He tossed one to her despite the disapproving look the lady was giving him. She took a couple quick bites out of it, humming in satisfaction. She’d lived on less than this before and she was grateful to have something in her stomach now. “It’s alright, Mary. She hasn’t eaten much. I’m sure we can spare a couple” He said to the lady as he handed another to Daryl. He took it and took a huge bite, giving the lady a “fuck you” face. She huffed and turned to go inside.  
“She’s always been kinda stingy with her fruit.” He chuckled. “I’d better get these inside. I hope you feel welcome here, Willow.” He said, giving her a kind glance.  
“Thank you.” She said, after she swallowed a mouthful of apple.  
“Feel better?” Daryl asked her, taking another bite.  
“Much better.” She replied. There was a long silence before Daryl spoke again.  
“So, you like me, huh?” He looked over at her, pressing his shoulder against the building.  
Willow choked on the bite of apple she just took. “What makes you say that?!” She almost shrieked.  
“Well judgin’ from your reaction and the fact that I could hear you and Sasha talking right outside the damn door- “  
“You were eavesdropping!” Willow cut him off, as she stomped her foot. “Haven’t you ever heard of privacy? It’s rude as hell to eavesdrop on somebody’s conversations like a- “  
“If ya’ll hadn’ta been talkin’ so damn loud, maybe I wouldn’ta heard it!” He said, stepping closer to her.  
“Maybe you need to learn some damn manners.” She took a step closer to him, their chests almost touching.  
“Maybe, I think you’re a little spit-fire who needs to be put in her place.” Daryl leaned down to get right in her face.  
“Oh boy, I wish you would fuckin’ try.” She shot back, her heart rate climbing at the closeness. She could feel the heat of his body and his breath on her face. He smelled like dirt, apples and a slight hint of cigarettes. And she loved it.  
With that he took her by her shoulders and slammed her into the side of the building. She was startled but that quickly melted away as he crashed his lips on hers. They were like two ravenous animals, clawing at each other. Her hands were in his hair as one of his was on her cheek and the other was sliding down to hike her leg up onto his hip. He swiped his tongue over her bottom lip, and she allowed him access. Their tongues began fighting for dominance as the hand on her leg moved up to grab her ass. He pulled away to started pressing kisses down her jaw and neck and ground his hips into hers.  
“Daryl!” She gasped. He slid his tongue over her neck once more and took her mouth again, this time with more passion. Then they heard someone clear their throat.  
Daryl pulled away from her, making sure to bite her bottom lip, gently as he did so.  
“Get a room.” Jesus said, walking past them grinning. “In fact, you can stay in mine tonight, instead and I’ll stay at Maggie’s.” He winked as he caught Willows eye. She blushed bright red as Daryl let her leg down and backed away from her with a big smirk on his face.  
“Try not to be so loud though. The walls are thin.” He called back over his shoulder.  
Willow smacked Daryl in the shoulder, hard. “You asshole!” She cried.  
“Yeah.” He said, taking her hand in his “But now I can finish what I started. See you tonight, princess.” He said, poking her in the nose as he walked away from her. Her eyes followed him as he strode around the corner to join Jesus. Her heart raced as her mind began filling with thoughts of what tonight might be like. Raking her hands through her tousled hair and taking a deep breath, she turned to leave but heard Maggie’s voice calling for Sasha and Enid. She slowly made her way to where the sound came from, and upon rounding the corner, she saw Daryl walking up to a bearded, grey haired man. Some people were standing just inside the open gate as they watched the two men. They looked at each other for a few seconds and embraced like brothers who hadn’t seen each other in years.  
Willow walked up and stood beside Jesus and crossed her arms across her chest as various others came up to hug Daryl.  
Daryl stepped back and handed over the gun that he had taken from the guy he killed. The man studied it like it was a prized relic and looked back up at Daryl with a look of pride in his eyes and put it in his pocket, carefully. Turning to the rest of the group and nodding they all began walking.  
As Daryl turned, his eyes locked on Willow’s. The tears streaming down his face and the look of pure happiness in his eyes made her heart swell. He walked up to her and gripped her hand in his, gently nodding his head in the direction that the group was walking in.  
In unison, they all made their way towards the house on the hill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all liked it! Stay tuned because the next chapter is rather steamy (;

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! The next chapter will be up shortly! (:


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